Automatic car-brake



(K0 Mbdel.)

B. P. SMITH.

-' AUTOMATIC GAR BRAKE.

Patent Mari. 13; 18'83. M

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ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES "P TENT ()FFICE.

BENJAMIN F. SMITH, OF ALABASTER, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,043, dated March 13, 1883.

Application filedAugnstl, 18852. (Nomodeln .To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SMITH, of Alabaster, in the county of Iosco, in the State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Car-Brake, of which the following is a'full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my improvement is to provide, in connection with the usual brake mechanism on railroad-cars, an apparatus that shall be automatic in its action in applying said brakes whenever required, and also actingindependently upon each car without reference togthe other cars of the train when the cars are in motion and their speed is checked; and, further, to provide-for the automatic release of the brakes by the forward movement of the cars; and, second, to arrange such mechanism so that it can be rendered inoperative whenever requiredas,for instance,in making up trains.

To that end my invention consists in brake mechanism that is brought into operation and released by the movement of sliding or rolling weights which are actuated by the momentum of the train, as hereinafter described and claimed. c

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, formin g part of thisspecification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railroad-car provided with my improved brake mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism for-automatically applying the brake. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line a: a: of Fig. 1. Fig. at is a cross-section on line g y of Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views.

The car, as shown, is fitted with the usual brake-shoes, rods, and levers. Beneath the center of the car is fixed a casting, F, which is formed with a journal carryingaloose wormwheel, V, and winding-drum W, that are sustained by a nut, a, and spring b upon the lower end of a pin, G, that passes vertically through the casting. The under side of the wormwheel V and upper edges of the drum W are formed with surfaces that engage by friction, so as to cause the rotation of the two together,

and from the drum W a chain, 0, passes to the.

lever d of the brake mechanism. Upon the bottom of the car, at one side of the casting F,

ranged in pairs at the opposite sides of the casting F, and extending lengthwise of the car. A A. are weights, of suitable form and size, provided with grooved wheels g, taking upon the rods B, so that said weightsmay move freely forward and backward. The upper sides of the weights A are recessed to receive the ends of the arms D D, and the weights are provided with pins 0, that engage slots in the ends of the arms. The arms D are pivoted upon pins E on casting F, and their inner ends pass beneath the head of the pin G, that is fitted in the casting F, as before mentioned, the ends of the arms being beveled to correspond with the bevels on the under side of the head, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, so that as the arms I) turn on their pivots their beveled ends raise or lower the pin G, according to the direction ot' movement. To the arms D are attached two connecting-rods, H H, that are in turn connected to the slide-rod I by a clamp, K. The rod I bears upon itsouter end a grooved spring-plate, L, and upon its upper side is formed with a dovetailed rib, that engages a groove of corresponding shape in a plate, M, that is attached to the under side of the car. N is a pulley sustained beneath the plate M by a cross-shaft in a suitable frame by boxes which are connected to two side rods, 0 0, that pass through the plate M loosely, and upon the rods 0, beneath washers P, are spiral springs, that act to retain the pulley N in its upward position between its supportingframes. The pulley N is provided with a yoke,

S, which passes over its upper side, the under side of said yoke being grooved to correspond with the pulley, while its upper side is arched to correspond in shape to the spring L. Upon the shaft of the pulley N is fixed a sprocketwheel, T, that connects by a link belt or chain to another sprocket-wheel. P, that is attached to the shaft-of the worm U, mounted upon the casting F. The worm U engages the wormwheel V for rotation of the same and of the winding-drum W. In the hangers f are fitted rods X X, extending transversely of the car, provided with handles at their outer end, and

carrying cams Y, that are raised and lowered lows: Supposing a train of cars provided with.

by turning the rods X. When lowered these cams come in contact with the weights A and prevent the movement of such weights in one direction or in both directions, according to the arrangement of the cams. These cams are to be operated by hand to prevent the operation of the brakes, whenever desired.

The operation of this apparatus is as folthis brake mechanism to be in motion audit is desired to slow or stop its movement, the engineer would apply the brakes to the engine so as to check its movement, and this would bring all the cars in the train together, thereby suddenlycheckingthe motion. The weights A, being free to move forward on their supporting-rods, would carry the arms D forward, and these arms, acting by their double ends, would raise the pin G and bring the windingdrum W into frictional contact with the worm-;

wheel V. At the same time the arms D, acting with the rod H, would carry the rod I forward, and the spring L would force the pulley N down into contact with a pulley on the axle of the car. The pulley N would thus be caused to rotate, and the rotary motion would be communicated, through sprocket-wheel T and chain, to the 'worm-gear, so that the worm-wheel V and drum W would be rotated and the rope or chain wound. After such application of the brakes, to relieve the brakes the train has only to be started forward, and the forward motion of the car would cause 'the weights to return I to their central position, thereby allowing the pin G to drop and release the drum W.

I am aware that it is not new, when checking a train, to operate brakes by the superior momentum of a sliding car-body to that of the truck; but

What I claim as new is 1. The combination, with suitable car-brake mechanism, of sliding weights arranged to be moved by the starting or checking of the train andto relieve the brakes, as described.

2. In railway-brakes, the sliding weights A, fitted for movement upon the rods B, and the arms D, connected to the weights and to the brake mechanism, substantially as shown and described, whereby the brakes are applied by the forward movement of the weights, substant-ial-ly as shown and described.

3. In railway-brakes, the combination of the sliding weights A, pivoted arms D, sliding rod I, provided with the plate L, and the movable pulley N, provided with the yoke S, substantially as described, combined together, and with the car-axle and its pulley R, substantially as shown and described.

4. In railway-brakes, the sliding Weights A,

the pivoted arms D, pin G, formed with a beveled head, the worm-gear V, and the winding-drum W, substantially as described, combined for operation, whereby the brakes are applied by the forward movement of the weights, substantially as set forth.

5. The cams Y, in combination with the weights A, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN SMITH.

Vitnesses:

JAMES W. SHAVER, EDGAR A. COOLEY, 

